Quite the Double Act
by misswhiteblack
Summary: It's just too hard to imagine not being best friends . . . JamesOlly . . . for aliben
1. 1000

_For Scrunchy's 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 challenge. Option I._

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_dedicate to aliben_

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**Quite the Double Act  
**_Olivia Black & James Potter_

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**. . . . . . . . . 1000**

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"Faster, James, faster," he can hear her screaming even though the wind whips most of the sound off in the opposite direction and he can feel the tightness of her arms around his waist. He lowers himself and she moves with him clutching him even tighter. Its break neck speed that they are rushing along at and the wind whips past their faces stinging their skin. Her whoops of delight making him laugh as his clothing flaps wildly against him. He doesn't think there is any other rush like it.

He swerves suddenly whipping her round behind him and she screams gleefully as they zoom off back the way they have come. Below them, through the clear day, he can see the different hues of grass in the fields. Beyond them his home is a mere speck on the ground and the members of his family now invisible from their distance and height. He stops suddenly and her hair flies forward round him, engulfing him in whisper soft black curls.

"Shall we really see how fast this thing can go?" he yells to her over the wind that makes it almost impossible to hear so far from the ground.

"Godric, yes," she shouts back and the ecstasy in her voice is all too apparent.

"Hold on," he commands and she tightens her grip around his waist once more pressing herself to his back.

They shoot off once more and he is careful to keep his gaze from the sun which could cause him to lose his focus. They gain speed in no time and he knows that if he were alone he would be going hell for leather across the open skies. In the distance he can see his family home growing in size but it is still no more than an ant nestled in the greenery that surrounds it.

As he comes in line with the building he turns into a dive heading straight for the ground. He can feel the weight of her against him as her screams of joy fill his ears even more so than the wind. The members of his family come into view the closer and closer he gets toward the ground. He smiles as he realises that he has timed the dive perfectly and they are heading straight for the back garden.

Just before they crash he pulls up levelling them with the ground. In his peripheral vision he can see his mother looking on in horror with her hand at her open mouth. Beside her his father is shaking his head but his smirk is all too apparent. His little brother is pretending to read but he can see the way his eyes flicker over the edge of the book looking on in awe and his little sister with the sun glinting off her fiery red hair is jumping around shouting in amazement.

"That was brilliant!"

Suddenly the broom is a lot lighter as his companion slips off onto the ground and he turns to look at her. Her black is hair is tumbling mess around her face. Her usually pale cheeks are tinged with red from the whipping wind and her luminous blue eyes are shining brightly. She is beaming at him as she scrapes her long fingers through her hair trying to tame it back in some semblance of order and he beams back as he too dismounts.

"James Sirius Potter," his mother calls out in a voice torn between half worried to death and half furious. "You could have broken your neck not to mention Olly's. What would I say to her mother if she had fallen? We should never have bothered buying you that broom for your birthday if you can't learn to be responsible with it."

He turns to face his mother's fury knowing well enough by now to put on a sheepish expression before she really managed to work herself up.

"What do you have to say for yourself, young man?" she demands of him.

"Sorry," he tells her hanging his head.

"Don't do it again," she tells him crossly. "Olly you shouldn't encourage him. You should know fine well that he has not one ounce of sense in that thick skull of his. Probably comes down in the genes from my side of the family."

"Sorry, Aunt Ginny," Olly tells her with a grimace.

Ginny looks between the two of them for a moment and then her expression softens.

"Right well behave yourselves."

She smiles a little and then turns back to where her husband is standing trying not to smile through his wife's tirade. James turns back to Olly who has been his best friend since she was born.

"Cool, isn't it?" he asks her.

"It's awesome," she exclaims. "It's like the best birthday present ever. Oh I can't wait for my birthday. I think I'm getting a brand new broom."

"What's wrong with your Silverwave?" he asks her with a frown.

"Well by the time my birthday comes round the brand new Throttlebolt will be out."

He stares at her in anguish.

"No. I thought they weren't coming out until next year."

She shakes her head, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet obviously very pleased with the little bombshell she had just dropped.

"My mum says they'll be out by the time we start at Hogwarts."

"That would be amazing. I can't wait until Hogwarts starts."

"Neither can I," Olly says dreamily. "I am so excited. Are you excited to be eleven?"

He shrugs slightly a frown creasing his brow.

"I don't really feel different," he tells her, "but it's great to think that we can all go off to Hogwarts this year."

Olly nods in understanding.

"I'm not eleven until we get to Hogwarts. Will you sing happy birthday to me in the Great Hall?"

He laughs.

"Sure I will."

She smiles and then flings her arms around his neck. He squeezes her tightly back.

"Happy birthday, James."


	2. 900

**. . . . . . . . 900 .**

"Firs' years this way," booms a voice out of the darkness as the first years gather on the platform. "Firs' years this way."

A giant looms out of the steam with a huge scraggly beard and warm, black eyes. The eleven years old grouped on the platform gasp as they clutch onto friends that they have just made on the journey from King's Cross. They gaze up at the giant terrified especially muggleborns whose parents could not warn them about what to expect.

"Hagrid," four voices chorus from somewhere at the back of the crowd and there is a lot of pushing and shoving as the four first years battle their way to the front. A dark, messy haired boy leads the way with two other boys, one with curly dark blond hair and another with bright red hair and freckles, behind him. Bring up the rear of the group is a pale girl with long, black hair. The other first years stare at them in horror as they approach the giant.

"'Allo, you lot," the giant chuckles as the four first years reach him beaming up. "Bin behavin' yoursels. Where is Roxy?"

"I'm here Hagrid," says another eleven year old with bright red hair pushing to the front with two girls hanging anxiously onto to each of her arms.

"Good, good," Hagrid says. "Now firs' years follow me to the boats."

Hagrid turns with his lamp swinging in his hand to lead the way eagerly followed by the five new students who had greeted him so warmly. With a lot of shuffling and muttering the other first years began to follow them down the steep narrow path lined with ominous trees on either side.

"An' there's Hogwarts," Hagrid announces as they turn a bend and there is a lot of oohing and aaahing from the eleven years olds as they catch sight of the castle perched on the cliff top beyond an expanse of black water.

"No more than four to a boat," Hagrid tells them as he indicates the small grouping of boats floating on the water.

"Come on, you three," shouts the red haired eleven year old boy grabbing the front of his friends' robes and yanking them towards the water's edge.

"We're coming, Fred," laughs the dark haired girl as she follows him down to the boat.

"Hey, guys," says the curly haired boy stopping by the boat and looking down at it thoughtfully, "do you think we'll fit James' big head in the boat with us three?"

"Shut up, Sage," says the dark haired boy, James shoving his friend.

"I don't know," Fred laughs as he clambers into the boat. "It might sink halfway across with the weight of it."

"It might," the girl adds, blue eyes glinting playfully, "because along with your big mouth Fred, this boat won't take the weight if me and Sage get in."

"Olly," Fred whines sticking out his bottom lips, "why are you so mean to me?"

Olly laughs as Sage helps her into the boat.

"Normally I would say ladies first," he tells her, "but seeing as Fred's already in the boat it's obviously idiots first, ladies second, boys third and gentlemen last, so you next, James."

"Get in the boat you four," booms Hagrid's voice and the four friends turn to see all the other first years already in their boats. Whilst messing around they had not realised the envious looks in their direction at the obvious ease of their friendship and the affectionate way in which they exchanged insults. Grinning broadly, they all settle into their boat.

When they reached Hogwarts it was the Herebology teacher and Head of Gryffindor, Professor Neville Longbottom, who ushered them into the antechamber to wait to be sorted. As they pass him all four friends grin at him broadly and Sage just manages not to call him dad in front of the rest of the first years.

"I will be back shortly to lead you through the Great Hall to be sorted," Professor Longbottom says before he leaves the first years standing nervously in the antechamber wondering what horrors lay before them.

"No surely not," says Fred suddenly in a loud voice, his eyes wide. "I don't believe you, James."

"I'm telling you it's true," James replies his eyes flickering over the now curious first years who were now watching them. "Louis told me."

"Honestly, Fred," Olly chimes in solemnly. "Teddy told me that it was really difficult especially with the whole school watching."

"Nah, I don't believe you," Fred insists looking between his three friends an incredulous look on his face.

"Apparently, it was a bit messy last year," Sage tells him seriously. "Madam Pomfrey retired because of it."

"But ... but, we're first years, they can't expect us to do that."

"We're not normal first years though, are we?" says James.

"Excuse me," says another particularly bold, and curious, first year, "but what are you talking about?"

James, Fred, Sage and Olly all look round at the first year.

"The sorting, of course," says James innocently and in his peripheral vision he sees the glances of horror exchanged by the other first years grouped around.

"What exactly do we have to do to be sorted?" asks the bold first year swallowing nervously.

James, Fred, Sage and Olly all exchange concerned glances, their faces perfectly smooth.

"Wrestle a troll."


	3. 800

**. . . . . . . 800 . .**

They are sick and tired and it's only the end of their first week at Hogwarts. All they've heard from their fellow students all week is "that's Harry Potter's oldest son", "he's Professor Longbottom's son", "her mother is that famous auror", "his uncle died in the Battle of Hogwarts", "Hey Potter, I wish my dad was as cool as yours", "Longbottom, your dad's a hero", "wasn't it amazing how Black's mother captured those dark wizards last month", "Weasley, get us free stuff from your dad's store?" and so on and so forth. They are just plain sick of it.

"I thought being at school meant being away from prying eyes," Sage huffs gloomily.

It's the middle of the evening and instead of being in the Gryffindor common room the four friends have escaped the masses to sit in an upstairs corridor. Learning the Lumos incantation in their first week had proved to be very useful.

"At least you don't constantly get the whole "you look just like your father" stuff," James replies banging his heels against the wall.

He is sitting on a window ledge next to Olly with Fred and Sage slouched on the floor opposite them. It is draughty in the corridor and they had all been sensible enough to bring along their outdoor cloaks to wrap around them.

"No but I get the whole "you look just like your mother" stuff," Olly corrects James leaning towards him slightly to butt his shoulder with her own. "It's worse than dealing with the reporters. Nobody seems to understand the words leave me alone."

"If I hear one more question about why I am so pale when my mother is black I am going to hex someone," Fred pipes up. "Well when I learn some hexes that is."

The other three smile. Even when he was being serious they could always rely on Fred to lighten the mood. However none of them seriously thought learning hexes was going to help them get out from under the weight of their parents' names and deeds. The three boys had already had to stop Olly from punching a third year Ravenclaw boy when she had lost her temper.

"It must die off eventually," James ventures. "Teddy said that when he first came to school everyone was asking him about his parents as if he could remember them but people kind of stopped asking after a while. Look at Victoire, she told me that everyone wanted to know about Greyback's attack on Uncle Bill but nobody asks her anymore."

"I don't think I can wait seven years for it to die off," Sage says. "My dad is a Professor whom all the students have met. I don't understand why they need to badger me about it all. I wasn't even there."

"Having famous parents sucks," Fred says miserably. "I keep getting asked about Uncle Fred and whether I was named after him. Yeah, duh, my dad lost a twin and in his memory named me after him. What other Fred would I be named after?"

"Fred Flinstone?" Olly suggests with a grin and the three boys stare at her for a moment.

"Olly nobody gets your odd references to muggle cartoons," James tells her eventually cottoning on to what she is on about. "I doubt Uncle George would have named him after a cartoon he's never even heard of."

"It'd be a good response though," Sage chips in with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Only the muggleborns, and Olly, will know who you are on about and they don't know anything about our parents."

"Good idea," Fred grins at Sage. "Cheers, Olly."

Olly smiles at Fred briefly before she punches James in the shoulder.

"See!" she says indignantly. "My muggle references do help occasionally."

"All of one time," James mutters under his breath rubbing his shoulder.

"Hey," says Fred brightening suddenly, "I know what'll cheer us up. Do you want to try out my dad's new product, The Horror?"

Fred pulls a seemingly innocent packet of sweet from his pocket.

"What do they do?" asks Sage apprehensively eyeing the sweet as though they might explode.

"They turn whoever eats them butt ugly," Fred laughs, "and they make them smell foul."

"Wicked!" James exclaims. "Who do we try them on?"

"Who were the Slytherins being horrible about your dad?" Olly asks Sage.

"Bletchley and Bole," Sage replies reluctantly.

"Let's go," says Fred getting to his feet.

"Guys," ventures Sage as James and Olly leap up, "do you really think we should?"

"Come on Sage," the other three chorus as they pull him to his feet.

"We could get into trouble."

"And?" they ask all wearing identical grins. Sage sighs.

"Well okay," he says with a smile, "but if my dad asks I'm blaming you."


End file.
